The Roughies made two first-inning errors that led to four runs and they eventually fell, 13-0, to the Crusaders at Green Pond. Overall, Catty had three hits.

“We were not ready and we’re young,” said head coach Steve Bradley. “We are inexperienced at key spots, especially on the right side of the infield. They got four runs in the first inning and that was basically it.

“This may be the best Notre Dame team that I have seen. We saw one of the best pitchers (Steven Luke) in the league.”

One plus for the Roughies was the fact that they used four pitchers, led by starter Eli Fink.

“Fink threw a nice game for us,” said Bradley. “We just didn’t do enough to support him. One of the good things we did was to throw five pitchers. They gained some experience and all of them threw 30 to 40 pitches.”

Bradley likes the formation of his outfield. Seniors Joey Kober is in left field, Cam Ritter in center, and Jayden June in right.

“They do a good job,” said Bradley. “Joey (Kober) is a patient hitter and selective. Jayden (June) is a good hitter, and Cam (Ritter) does a good job in center for us.”

One key loss for the Roughies is second baseman Andrew Brett, who will undergo surgery for a knee injury from football. He has been replaced by Andrew Martinez.

“Brett is a good hitter and probably the smartest player on the team,” added Bradley. “He is a great number two hitter and bunts well. He is a big loss for us.”

Martinez, Adam Reinhart, and Bailey Witt were all JV players last season, and have been thrust into the spotlight this season. Third baseman Shane Dolon suffered a concussion in the opener, and he will be sidelined indefinitely.

“Reinhart started the opening game in left field and did a good job,” said Bradley. “He (Reinhart) hasn’t played there much. Bailey Witt needs work and he struggled with plays at first. Martinez is working through it.

“All of them played JV last year. Now we have to fill in for Dolan at third.”

Senior Zach Bilder was scheduled to get the start Wednesday against Northwestern Wednesday.

“We didn’t want to start (Bilder),” said Bradley. “But he will have a good season. We will have to battle through the inexperience. We’ll get out there every game and see what happens.”